Archive for March, 2009

Well, here we are… I entered an online challenge this past Sunday. It all started when I stumbled across the challenge section of the ImagineFX forums, and decided it was time. This will be my first venture into competitions of the sort and I’m mighty excited about it. It’s already pushing me to quickly apply my skills under a deadline (outside of school). Below are some snapshot peeks at my progress thus far. The theme of the challenge is Heavy Metal, and the deadline is this Friday. I’m pretty busy, but I should have something pretty solid by the end of the week. Many of the participants (including myself) are relating the challenge’s theme to the covers of the delightfully testosterone laden Heavy Metal fantasy magazine. Oh yeah… Boobs, Guns, Swords, Monsters, Robots. Let the challenge begin!

As some of you may know, I finished school this last December. At LCAD every senior is required to produce a Senior Capstone thesis paper, as well as a Capstone Presentation. For me, the paper was a real challenge to write, but it really helped me develop my philosophy regarding art, and the directions I wanted to take my art. The Capstone presentation however, had me tied in knots. I had to get up and present something to a room full of students, their family, and a heap of teachers and staff members. Gaaghh! At first I wanted to run for the hills, but then I came up with a plan. I realized I couldn’t go wrong as long as I put the extra time into putting together a solid presentation. Also, my project was all about hot babes and cute little goats. How do you mess that up? Really…

The following video is the one part of my presentation that I can share here. The video shows the development of nearly every piece I created for my senior portfolio project, including sketches and notes. If you’re craving a larger version, you can find it here: LARGE VIDEO

Vodpod videos no longer available.

posted with vodpod

On the big day it was announced that my paper was nominated for best Senior thesis. I can’t even begin to explain the irony. The greatest Irony of all however, is that tomorrow I will be presenting my presentation all over again. This time in front of the 2009 seniors. “Why?” You might ask. Is it because I had so much fun the first time? Did I bomb my first one? Well, the truth of the matter is that the Capstone teachers requested that I do it for their current batch of students as an example. And because showing them a video just isn’t the same. In short, my presentation was about my personal struggles regarding my limitations and how I decided to address those limitations. I used Apples Keynote to piece together a complete presentation with slides, and a three minute video. Blah blah blah…..

All in all my goal was to make my presentation into a story- with a beginning middle and end. Because pictures are pretty, but story is king.

Today I am working on this big brute character to improve my male anatomy, as well as my digital painting skills. Normally I do extensive thumbnail sketches on paper, but working this way is helping me work and think faster on the fly. I’m learning quite a bit from these exercises. It’s also pretty funny to see the different direction I take things near the end. Raaahhh!